How Pregnancy Affects a Tummy Tuck

Pregnancy is an exciting time for new beginnings, and to bring a new life into the world can be a beautiful and life-changing experience for a woman. It is a blessing for a family and offers many joyful, exciting moments, as well as some challenging lifestyle adjustments.

Of course, life happens, and it’s not always possible to plan for all pregnancies. After you gave birth to your last child, believing you had completed your family, you had a tummy tuck, also known as an abdominoplasty.

Now that you unexpectedly find yourself pregnant again, you start wondering how having had this procedure might affect not only the pregnancy itself or the delivery of your new baby, but also the results of your surgery.

Pregnancy After Your Tummy Tuck Surgery

Your health should not be a concern during your pregnancy. It’s essential early on to let your OB-GYN know about your abdominoplasty, as well as to inform Dr. Mussat that you are pregnant. Having taken care of this, you should be able to relax and enjoy the experience of preparing for the exciting arrival of your new baby.

Pregnancy and childbirth after a tummy tuck are safe for both you and your baby. Your precious little one will have plenty of room to grow and thrive. Avoiding gaining too much weight during pregnancy is the best way to preserve the results of your tummy tuck procedure well after the birth of your child.

Even after your abdominoplasty, your abdominal wall and tissue will still be able to stretch as usual to accommodate the new baby. You and your family and friends might even notice that your belly isn’t stretching out as much as it did before, or that your baby bump isn’t as prominent as it was during your previous pregnancy.

Should you have any concerns about experiencing a healthy pregnancy following your tummy tuck, contact Dr. Florence Mussat in Chicago, IL, and schedule a consultation.

What Will Happen to Your Tummy Tuck Results?

During your consultation with Dr. Mussat, she will confirm that most of her patients who become pregnant after their abdominoplasty continue to be thrilled with the results of their surgery after the birth of their baby. Don’t be surprised if you look even better than the last time you were pregnant as a result of your tummy tuck.

Providing you don’t put on too much weight during the pregnancy, having had a tummy tuck, your midline connective tissue shouldn’t stretch very much. The strong scar tissue holding the abdominal muscles together from the previous abdominoplasty can still extend outward, allowing the baby to grow. Of course, another benefit of this strong scar tissue is that, after birth, it can retract again without causing the same gap between your abdominal muscles that you had before.

And even if you end up with some excess abdominal skin due to pregnancy stretch, Dr. Mussat will be able to remove it and tighten up this region of your body.

Will a C-Section Affect Your Tummy Tuck?

As the time arrives to give birth, there is a chance you might need a cesarean section. While your existing scar tissue can affect having a C-section after a tummy tuck, keep in mind that having a C-section after abdominoplasty isn’t much different from having a repeat C-section. Either way, your OB-GYN will still be working with scar tissue from the previous procedure, be it from an earlier C-section or an abdominoplasty. Of course, this possibility means you should let your OB-GYN know that you have already had abdominoplasty surgery, as sometimes the scar may not be noticeable.

One thing to keep in mind is that that sometimes, your OB-GYN might not be able to close your new cesarean section incision with the skill of a plastic surgeon, and this might affect the appearance of the scar. Consulting with both your OB-GYN and Dr. Mussat in advance can prepare all parties for this possibility.

Get Ready for Your Big Day!

As a mother with numerous responsibilities, self-care can often feel like a luxury; however, by putting yourself first, you’ll find you can look forward to the arrival of this baby just as you did the last!

To learn more about how to best prepare for the birth of your new child or to discuss your post-pregnancy tummy tuck, contact Dr. Florence Mussat in Chicago, IL, to schedule a private appointment. As an innovator in abdominoplasty techniques, Dr. Mussat will be happy to work with you on your surgical plan.

Florence Mussat, M.D., s.c.

680 N Lake Shore Dr #1030 Chicago, IL 60611

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